


Of Pretty Men and Horses

by theprettiestfish (remembertheginger)



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 15:46:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8850763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remembertheginger/pseuds/theprettiestfish
Summary: Jaune Arc, a farmhand, is happy when a new cowboy, Lie Ren, is hired: their farm has been lacking one for a while, and it will make everyone's lives easier. The problem is, this cowboy is far more interesting-- and pretty-- than Jaune expected. [Cowboy AU]





	

Jaune first saw the man riding up to the farm while he was out feeding the pigs. The man’s hat was brimmed and lowered, the sun behind him shading his face. The horse he rode was chestnut-colored, with a black mane; and he looked comfortable on it, which was either a good sign, or a very bad sign. There was a 50/50 chance that it was his, or he had stolen it. It was a very nice horse, after all, but the saddle was worn, suggesting that he had had the time to saddle it with something likely his own and therefore probably not stolen it.

“I heard in town that there’s a farm looking for a cowboy. Is this it?” He pushed the brim of his hat up a little, meeting eyes with Jaune for a moment before surveying the area around him.

Well... they weren’t exactly _looking_ for a cowboy right now, but with their previous one arrested for petty theft and then shot for trying to escape, they would certainly take one. “I guess so,” Jaune answered, setting the bag of feed up on his shoulder where the pigs wouldn’t be able to get to it. He’d made that mistake once, and while Ozpin didn’t fault him, it was still a chunk out of that month’s wages. “You’ll want to head inside and talk to the owner, Ozpin. I’m sure you’ll be able to get some food first if nothing else.”

The man dismounted the horse, looking at Jaune for a moment before simply asking, “Where can I tie her up?”

“Oh-- just on the post over there,” Jaune pointed to the post where most guests tied up horses. “If you end up staying, I’ll show you where the barn is. What’s your name?” Maybe he shouldn’t have been asking so early on, but he had a good feeling about this guy.

Removing his hat and placing it over his chest, the man gave him the smallest of smiles-- one so small it was practically nonexistent-- but Jaune caught it, an upwards turn in the corners of his mouth. “Lie Ren. Yours?”

“Jaune. Jaune Arc. Good luck,” he smiled too-- larger, visible-- and Ren turned to lead his horse towards the post. Now finished with feeding the pigs, Jaune had other things to do, but he would be curious to see if Ren was hired.

* * *

 

Ren was there when Jaune came in for supper that night, sitting quietly at the table with the rest of the farmhands. It would be the only night in a while that Ren would be with them for dinner; as it turned out, he was usually out late with the cows and then with the horses, making sure each one was comfortable and knew that he cared about them. That night, though, Ren was able to meet the rest of the help.

There was Ruby, who generally took their produce and meat and eggs to town to sell at the market. Something about her bubbly cheer convinced a lot of people to buy. Around the farm, she tended to share jobs with Jaune: they had a rotation, so that they wouldn’t get sick of doing the same things over and over again. Ren seemed amused by her, calling her “Very sweet” before looking to the next person.

That was Yang, her older sister. The two had come together, not long before Jaune had, and practically demanded work at the farm. With help scarce and the farm on the edge of falling apart, they had gotten exactly what they wanted. Yang hauled around anything heavy (they all knew she was the strongest one there), kept an eye out for foxes and wolves, and cleaned when they asked her to (which was often). Ren didn’t seem intimidated by her either, just gave her that same barely-noticeable smile he had given Jaune earlier, and looked at the next person.

Following Yang was Nora, who did essentially anything anyone asked of her. She really didn’t care as long as it allowed her to move around a lot. When she introduced herself, Ren laughed. “That’s the name of my horse,” he explained after she asked, which got him a big grin from her and a fast-paced speech about how it must be a sign and how exciting it was that he was here. She seemed to make Ren smile a lot, true smiles, which Jaune found oddly disconcerting, for reasons he couldn’t place. Maybe it was just that he wasn’t used to seeing Ren smile yet.

Pyrrha introduced herself after Nora, a moment of calm amongst the bundle of energy from the other three girls. Ren visibly relaxed in his chair after she spoke, sinking down in it a little as he soaked in her far more subdued presence. Pyrrha did most of the cooking around the farm, and upon finding this out, Ren immediately thanked her for the meal. She laughed, that little giggle that Jaune never got tired of. “It’s my pleasure! It’s going to be wonderful to have someone to keep the cows in line.”

Nora looked a little offended at this statement. “Are you saying the cows _aren’t_ in line when I’m with them?”

“No, I’m saying that the cows are a little... too in line when you’re with them,” Pyrrha hesitated, trying to put it delicately. She never liked hurting people’s feelings.

“They’re scared of you now,” Yang rolled her eyes, having no such qualms. “You notice why we never send you to milk them anymore?”

“Hey, now, let’s all just settle down,” Jaune glanced between Yang and Nora, and then at Ren. “Before we get anywhere close to a fight. Ren, I already kind of talked to you earlier, but did you want to introduce yourself?”

He looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, “My name is Lie Ren. I’m very grateful to you all for having taken me in so quickly. I intend to work hard here.” It didn’t seem like he was going to say anything else, which Jaune wasn’t sure how he felt about. He usually liked it when people talked more, but he didn’t want to force conversation with the new cowboy. Already, he felt that Ren was more a man of action than of words, and Jaune could work with that just fine.

* * *

 

Jaune was assigned to introducing Ren to the horses the next morning, which he did gladly. He loved all the animals on the farm, the horses included; he just wasn’t an expert in them like some people were. “These are all nice and broken already, have been for a while,” he smiled fondly at a black mare, gently patting her nose. She nuzzled his palm, looking for food of some sort, which made him laugh and produce an apple that she gladly began to eat. “All of our cowhorses were sold off before I came, though, in order to keep the farm running.”

“Keep the farm running?” Ren repeated, placing a hand up to the mare Jaune had been spoiling so that she could get accustomed to his scent.

The blond sighed. He realized after he said it that he would have to explain, but that didn’t make it any better. “A couple years ago, this farm was not doing so well. Nothing was kept up, we had about a quarter of the animals we do right now, all the help had either split or died. Yang and Ruby really helped keep it from closing altogether, and I came along not long after them.” He grabbed another apple from his pocket, moving to a gray dappled stallion and patting him too. “Onto a happier and more recent topic, though, we have a shipment of green horses coming in a couple days! I’d be happy to help you break them when they come, but Ozpin wants you to pick a couple for breeding some good cowhorses, since I guess you’re really good with horses?” He finished his sentence more as a question, looking curiously at Ren, who he realized was saddling up the mare from before. “Oh, you’re planning on taking her out?”

“Just to get familiar with her,” Ren replied, cinching tight a buckle before placing a booted foot in the stirrup and hoisting himself up into the saddle. “I plan to for all of them, don’t worry.”

“Oh, I wasn’t worried!” Jaune responded almost immediately, then felt his cheeks heat a little. The blush of embarrassment was one he was a little too familiar with. “Er... well, you do what you need to, then. Pyrrha gave you a lunch, right?”

The mare, and Ren on it, began to walk gently out of the barn. “She did.”

  
Jaune nodded, not sure why he was doing so. “Okay! Well... I’ll see you at dinner, then!” He gave Ren a large smile, even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to see it. Watching him beginning to pick up the pace with the horse in the predawn gray was an almost beautiful sight, Jaune thought to himself, then shook his head. That was just how horses and pretty men were.


End file.
